Review: Chocolate Cake!

Now who doesn't love chocolate cake? Especially one like this, one filled with chocolate buttercream and topped with a set chocolate fudge icing and white chocolate stars! (please excuse the sloppy presentation, this was just as it was finished!

The recipe is as follows:

6oz margarine

10oz caster sugar

2 eggs

6oz plain flour

¼ teaspoon baking powder

¼ teaspoon salt

1 teaspoon bicarbonate of soda

2oz cocoa

8 fl oz water

Beat margarine and caster sugar together then add the eggs

Mix the flour, baking powder, salt and bicarbonate of soda together in a separate bowl then gradually add to the mixture

Beat the cocoa and water together in a jug then add to the mixture

Cook for 30-40mins (single cake) or approximately 15-20 minutes for smaller cakes/muffins

Fudge icing

1oz butter or margarine

1 tablespoon cocoa

Enough icing sugar to give an icing with a good consistency

Melt the butter with a little milk and the cocoa powder

Add icing sugar to mix until it forms an icing with a good consistency

Apply directly to the cake/s before it sets

Sadly, the original source is unknown, I shamelessly stole it from the mother of one of my housemates in my second year at university.
Once baked the cake is deliciously rich and moist, truely fabulous served hot or cold and with or without an accompanient (cool double cream or fresh custard are best though if you must serve something alongside it).

The sugar content is high but....what's life without a few slices of calorie laden cake to treat yourself now and then? It can also be adjusted, the recipe was successfully whipped up using 6oz of caster sugar (a weight equal to that of the marg and flour) however the result just wasn't the same!
The fudge icing sets hard quite quickly too so be sure to only make it once the cake is ready to be iced and keep it warm until its on the cake!

With a cake like this there is no need for fancy decorations and extra flavours, the cake speaks for itself and will be warmly received by almost everyone! Although, we'd suggest that you warn people who make be diabetic...and keep it away from children (and adults alike) who are at risk of extreme hyperactivity from an increased sugar intake.

There isn't much more which can be said, other than a plea for any readers to try the cake for themselves! (and don't forget to leave us a comment letting us know what you thought!)

KFS

Review: Lemon Drizzle cake (Tana Ramsey)

Lemon Drizzle CakeRecipe by: Tana Ramsey
Source: BBC Good Food, December 2007 (available online)

Not the quickest of recipes - cooked in a loaf tin this cake can take up to 50minutes to bake (not including the prep time), but it is worth it! With it's crisp, sharp sugar topping and its deep lemon flavour it's proving hard to find a finer recipe (and we have been trying!).

At first we were skeptical due to it's lack of lemon juice, the recipe calls for the zest of a single lemon, and our experience with so many other lemon cake recipes. We thought that maybe the lemon flavour wouldn't be clear enough but we needn't have worried. A fine sponge with a light but distinctive flavour this recipe has been a clear favourite in the KFS kitchen since it was unearthed online back in October.
The suggested topping is just caster sugar a lemon juice giving the top of the cake a clear icing with a crunch to it - a great juxtaposition to the soft texture of the cake itself. And the lemon is a clear flavour just isn't so strong as to be offensive, the prefect balance along side a good cup of tea (or a cheeky glass of wine with the KFS team!)

If you're out for a simple cake that will impress this could lead you to a winner. It can be as simple (a loaf cake with the topping, perfect for tea) or as show-stopping as you like (the best yet has been a round sandwich cake filled with a buttercream which had been marbled with lemon curd [unbeknown to those seeing it for the first time] and flat iced, decorated with crystallised lemon slices ) depending on how much time you have to hand.

Rachel
Overall, a great cake and well worth the time investment. Moreish and fresh what's not to like!

Morelli's in Harrods

Location: Morelli's Gelato, Harrods, London
Score (out of 5): 4

Like every good woman I love ice-cream. Thick, creamy, rich and not too sweet is the perfect end to a light meal or the best end to a hard worked day.
I was never a fan of sorbets and the like though. All through childhood I was encouraged to try these light, dainty desserts and palate refreshers and never took well to the narrow range of flavours on offer.

This all changed when I first went to London on my own. Harrods is well known as the grocery shop of choice for those who frequently have more money than sense...I will admit to thinking that too until I went down to the City and decided to take full advantage of having no itinerary.

Off I went, first stop Peter Jones and the rest around Sloane Square followed by the short(ish) walk down to Harrods. I'm not one for shopping but this is a store which both amazes and intrigues me. The food halls are filled with everything I used to wonder about the sale of (where exactly did x buy that exquisite cheese/meat/fish/chocolate?!) and now I know. Progressing through the food hall you meet what could have once made my food dreams come true. With sweets, a bakery, Krispy Kreme and this gelato concession all in one room I was happy!

Morelli's do servings of all sizes to treat and delight those of all ages. You can eat in or take out (my preferred choice) and the flavour range is incredible - with over 30 flavours including the traditional mango, bana, lemon and lime up to more unusual ones including coconut and tiramisu there's down to be one or two for every customer to get stuck in to. The gelato is fresh so the texture is completely differerent to the mass produced, deep frozen stuff you can pick up at even the best of retailers.

Definitely worth a visit if you're in London, and handily the tube station is right outside the store. Who can say no?!

Rachel

Vegetables within dessert...

Ok so I'm all for trying new things. Beetroot and chocolate cake, chocolate in chile and the like are all very good dishes. However last night we were served a trip of mini dessert, one was divine, one satisfactory and the third abysmal.

Which ever culinary genius thought that butternut squash and dark chocolate mousse would be a treat for their diners was sadly mistaken. Whilst in theory I'm sure it could have worked well in execution it didn't.
Served within the context of the right course it could work...you'd just have to work damn hard to find the complimentary flavours!

Venison- A quick note

I'm not going to write a full review of where we dined last night as it is a restaurant which isn't open to the general public. I am however going to issue a quick plea to all dining establishments...

Please, please, please do not ruin good pieces of venison (or any meat for that matter) by over cooking  the poor things!

I love venison so was delighted to find it on the menu at last nights events but was bitterly disappointed when I saw others being served their meat over cooked. It was tough and made life at the tables hard as people battled to chew through it.
B and I finished ours, we are students after all and the meal was free so we weren't going to send it back, but it was plain to see that many gave up after just a little.

Such a shame that a wonderful meat wasn't served to it's full potential - or the full potential of the menu itself.

Surficed to say I was unimpressed and openly admitted to my fellow diners that to give the dish 1/5 would be generous. I'm not harsh...just honest!

Rachel

A quick aside

Just a quick note to say that you may have noticed that we have a tendancy to post belatedly and also post multiple entries at once. This is purely due to us being a tad forgetful and lazy.
I can assure you that everything we post is timely(ish) and accurate to our experiences though! (and we will aim to make all posts within a week or so of the experiences!)

KFS

Cafe Rouge

Location: Cafe Rouge, Sheffield centre
Time: 19.50
Score (out of 5): 4

So last Thursday Cafe Rouge in the centre of Sheffield (beside the Peace Gardens if you know the area) had a jazz night so we booked a table (how very grown up of us) so that we could enjoy good food (ok...we just ate dessert) and wine.

It's a smallish restaurant which creates a great buzz and atmosphere however, there are times when I wished for the tables to be slightly further apart!

We had our fill of savory food just prior to Cafe Rouge in The Old Monk (see the separate post for there) having decided to eat affordable mains and follow them up with the treat of a sumptuous dessert and a bottle of wine. Now, I'm not a wine drinker usually but I am determined to crack it for the sake of being a woman- I can't always have a half or pint in my hand now can I!

Seeing as we can never have just one dessert we split the tarte tatin and the waffle with chocolate sauce. Accompanied by the best part of a bottle of chardonnay (the only white they had in that was reasonably priced- the one L selected originally was sold out!). The wine was acceptable, I'm still not sold out on white to be honest, and the food ran a close second to the jazz. The tarte tatin was particularly delectable, the chefs are obviously both skilled and passionate.

The jazz trio gradually worked through their set list, whilst managing to play many of Lucy's favourite and songs I rather like which greatly added to the experience. The staff are well mannered, if a little cool, and timely and the food is well presented and cooked well.

Definitely one to consider if you're looking for somewhere to dine. I would suggest reading the menu carefully before making your final decision. Some items are definitely better than others!

Rachel&Lucy

The Old Monk

Location: The Old Monk, Sheffield centre
Score (out of 5): 3


So the Monk is somewhere we went a lot in the second and third year of my undergraduate course and I realised that until now I have failed to post about it!

The pub/restaurant is right in the city centre, in the same square as the two theatres. It's usually quiet (unless there is a world cup football or rugby match on) and is frequented by men who drink in the middle of the day (but they are only around for an hour or so).

The food is affordable with tasty staples such as chicken wings, nachos and onion rings as well as classics such as jacket potatoes and club sandwiches along with more substantial meals. Not only is the food affordable it is also tasty - often a rare combination. Our favourite thing to do of late has been to order three items from the 'bar snacks' portion of the menu and share between 2-4 of use depending on how hungry we are. The 'Old Monk Mound' is always a favourite (chips, bacon and cheese - a decent meal for two nevermind one, unless you're a bloke or one of those lucky women who can eat absolutely anything and remain waif like).

The drinks range from decidedly affordable (just 90p for a soda and lime) up to slightly ridiculous (the occassional beverage is £3.00+) but when accompanied by good food, good company and a good atmosphere I'm not one to complain.

Also, recently they have started to show films on the projector every other Thursday which is an added plus for me and my film loving companions. Add in their free wifi and you're winning.

In conclusion, a good place to go for a casual drink and a natter.

All of the KFS reviews team!

Antibos

Location: Antibo(s?), West One, Sheffield
Time: 19:00
Score (out of 5): 4

A modern and well presented italian restaurant. Tucked away in West One Antibos was definitely what I would regard to be a hidden gem in the city. With polite staff, buy one get one free cocktails until 19.00 and great food it is definitely one to head to for an occassion.

The restaurant is 'L' shaped meaning that those looking in from outside don't stare at you whilst you eat. Instead they see the bar which whilst not huge is well stocked with a great cocktail menu. The bar staff are well trained and not one of them needed to find out what was in the vast array of cocktails we ordered through out the meal.

The food came and went down a storm. Not one of us was disappointed by what we had ordered. Because the booking was for more than 7/8 we had been asked to pre-order the food and pay a deposit of £5 per person-more than reasonable for what we received. The chicken and mushroom risotto was devine - and with good sized portions I was a happy customer. Due to the success of the main I decided to try a desert. Across the table we each had a different dessert and they were all phenomenal. From the cheeseboard chosen by the companion opposite me to my profiteroles we were all very happy. The only sound to be heard were the appreciative noises of diners taking their fill. No mean feat with us, it's rare that we are all 100% happy with each element of the meals we partake in.

Once I work out how to upload pictures from my phone I will add them in because the profiteroles were most certainly a thing of beauty to look at as well as eat!

With perfect portions, delicate and delicious flavours and a great atmosphere we all decided we would recomment Antibos. If you are in the area and fancy a reasonably priced treat why not pop in :)

Rachel (Ben, Claire...everyone else!)